Line Adjustment

The Lakers were a 5½-point favorite in Game 1 and they have now been installed as a 6-point favorite in Game 2 after their easy win on Thursday. Los Angeles led by 20 points entering the fourth quarter in their eventual 102-89 win and the oddsmakers have now adjusted the line higher. The same thing occurred last season when Los Angeles easily defeated the Magic in Game 1, 100-75, as a 6-point favorite. The Lakers were then installed as a 6½-point home favorite for Game 2 and barely won 101-96 in overtime.

Heavy money came in on the Under in Game 1 on Thursday and pushed the opening line from 195 all the way down to 191 by game time. Kobe Bryant’s meaningless three-pointer at the buzzer landed the game exactly on 191 and now the oddsmakers have adjusted the Game 2 line lower to 190.

The Lakers entered the series as a -185 favorite to win the championship and they now stand -340 to capture the title.

Past History

Kobe Bryant missed the regular season meeting on February 18th and the Celtics won 87-86 as a 2½-point underdog at Los Angeles. The Lakers have won every other meeting the past two seasons with Kobe in the lineup, going a perfect 4-0 straight-up and 3-0-1 against the spread which includes their Game 1 win on Thursday.

This is a stark reversal from the 2007-08 season which saw the Celtics go a perfect 8-0 against the spread versus the Lakers (6-2 straight-up) on Boston’s way to the NBA Championship. The Celtics won the title in six games which included a pair of home wins in Games 1 & 2.

Stingy Defense Vanished

Prior to Game 1 in Los Angeles, Boston’s defense had been ultra consistent throughout the Playoffs. The Celtics had allowed more than 100 points in just 4 of their 17 previous playoff games, and in fact, the Celtics held their opponents to less than 90 points in 10 of those 17 playoff games.

But their defense was non-existent on Thursday night as the Lakers scored 102 points in their 13-point win. Boston allowed the Lakers to shoot 48.7% (37-76) from the field and 40% (4-10) from three-point land. The Celtics also gave the Lakers 24 free points after letting them get to the free-throw line 31 times.

Swallow the Whistle

Game 1 had way too many fouls called. The first quarter was actually tough to watch because there was absolutely no flow to the game thanks to the officials. They called a whopping 18 personal fouls over the first 12 minutes of the game alone, and most of those calls were questionable at best.

The Celtics and Lakers combined to shoot 67 free-throws for the game after 54 personal fouls were called with seven players having at least 4 fouls called on them. The game was officiated too tight, and we can only hope they let them play for the rest of the series.

Efficient Offense

Both offensive units were extremely efficient in Game 1, especially the starters. Boston had four starters score in double digits with only Kendrick Perkins scoring less than 10 points (he scored 8 points). The starting five combined to score 73 points on 45.3% shooting (24-53).

Los Angeles also had four of their five starters score in double digits with only Derek Fisher scoring less than 10 points (he scored 9 points). Their starting five combined to score 87 points on 50% shooting (30-60).